It’s that time of year again: Happy Halloween! You know what that means, right? If you’re anywhere near Metro Atlanta, it means leaving work before 2PM to avoid the absolute worst traffic day of the year, except for snowmageddon (aka “snowjam”). The fact that this year Halloween is on a Tuesday isn’t going to help anything traffic-related. Once you’re home, then it’s time for costumes, candy, trick-or-treaters, candy going out, candy coming in, pranksters, teenagers, bad drivers, and one late school night. We’re here to make sure none of these get the best of you and that your Halloween is nothing but laughs.

Halloween Best Practices from Lawyers

Yes, you read that right. Lawyers are now giving you advice on how to have a fun, safe, and laughter-filled Halloween. It’s the least we can do. Here’s how to handle each of these potential “gotchas” around October 31st.

  • Costumes – Get them early, try them on several days before Halloween, make sure your child is comfortable so they don’t throw off any pieces of the costume, and take lots of “before” pictures. You’ll be glad you did, since the “after” pictures don’t usually work out so well. Oh, and keep your receipts. Costumes are not cheap these days (unless you make them yourself), so you want to make sure you get your money’s worth.
  • Candy – So many kids have allergies these days that it’s a good idea to have 2 jars (or boxes or bags or whatever) of candy. One with traditional junk that kids crave and parents hate, and one with healthy treats.
  • Trick-or-treaters – We’ve recently heard of homeowners who have “rules” for trick-or-treaters like they must actually be in costume and they must actually shout “Trick or Treat!” to earn some candy. We’re not condoning or condemning such legalism, but rather bringing it to your attention that you as the giver of candy this All Hallow’s Eve have the power to make it a lot of fun.
  • Candy Going Out – Make sure you have enough! Nothing worse than running out and having to “Charlie Brown” anyone (“I got a rock!”). These kids remember who treats them right these days.
  • Candy Coming In – Got kids? Then you have incoming candy. Bags of it. On a school night. Best practices here say to limit candy intake that first night, and let the kids enjoy it over the next week. Or month.
  • Pranksters – There are still those who set out to make Halloween all about what they can get away with in a costume, though we believe that effort peaked in the 1980s. However, a new form of prank has been gaining popularity now that those pranksters of the 80s have kids of their own. Again, we’re not condemning or condoning stealing your kids’ candy, or even joking about it, but some parents just can’t resist. Jimmy Kimmel has a knack for capturing the best of these pranks.
  • Teenagers – When are you too old to trick-or-treat? We’ll leave that up to the parents, but we want you to be prepared for the 6’1” linebacker grunting a deep-voiced “trick or treat” at your front door. These young adults may or may not actually be in costume, but these days who can tell? It’s ok, teenagers want candy, too, and are more likely to share it with their parents, having been on the business end of eating far too much candy as a kid.
  • Bad Drivers – We’re not joking about this one. With hundreds of thousands of kids walking the sidewalks and streets, we highly recommend getting home before dark next Tuesday. Even if you do, there will likely be traffic jams of parents taking their kids to the “best neighborhoods” for candy. Candy neighborhoods are now competing with Christmas Light neighborhoods.
  • One Late School Night – Daylight Savings starts on November 5, so it won’t be dark on Halloween night until after 7pm. That means the candy related activities won’t stop until at least 9PM and you know there will be some stragglers. First, be kind to the little kids whose parents had to work late. Second, plan for extra coffee on Wednesday.

Halloween Should Be Fun

Halloween can and should be fun for everyone. Take our advice and implement these “Lawyer’s Halloween Best Practices”, and you and yours can enjoy the mid-week candy fest. And, if anything should go awry, we’re here for you.